Who Mans the Walls. European Security Requirements for US Military Presence in the 1970's

Abstract

The essay appraises European requirements for United States military presence in the context of dynamic economic and political forces acting on NATO's members as well as the threat posed by the Warsaw Pact. The essay considers the influence of NATO's historical roots on its projected strategy and requirements. The current strategic environment is analyzed in terms of present and anticipated internal and external threats as well as NATO's relative military posture. Implications of strategic balance are assessed in terms of deterrence, flexibility and confidence. The current United States role within the alliance is defined as a basis for appraising our future requirements. Two alternative United States force level strategies and their implications are examined: maintenance of present force levels and unilateral force reductions.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 21, 1974
Accession Number
ADA003133

Entities

People

  • John W. Messer

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Biomedical
  • Counter WMD
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Central Europe
  • Commerce
  • Continents
  • Defense Planning
  • Europe
  • Foreign Policy
  • Germany
  • Governments
  • Military Force Levels
  • Munitions
  • National Security
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Political Systems
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Western Europe

Readers

  • International Relations and European Studies
  • Strategic Security Studies
  • Systems Analysis and Design